Pusher accessory for roll forming machine

ABSTRACT

An accessory for a roll forming machine which permits an operator to feed sheets through the machine while standing at only one end of it, by eliminating the necessity for the operator to remove finished sheets at the opposite end. The apparatus includes a pusher head slidably mounted on the roll machine stand, so that the head can be pushed by the next sheet fed into the machine, whereby the head pushes a preceding sheet off the machine bed. The accessory also includes a deflecting member which moves down the pusher head at the end of its forward travel, so that it lies beneath the sheets and therefore a spring can return the head to its initial position.

United States Patent Budzak July 4, 1972 541 PUSHER ACCESSORY FOR ROLL 2,566,951 9 1951 Mills ..271/55 x FORMING MACHINE Primary Examiner-Jose h Wegbreit [72] Inventor: Steve Budmk Afleta Cahf' Attorney-Samuel Linde berg and Arthur Freilieh [73] Assignee: Marvin Shaler Co., Inc., Los Angeles,

Calif. [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Dec. 19, 1969 An accessory for a roll forming machine which permits an [211 App! No: 886,580 operator to feed sheets through the machine while standing at only one end of it, by eliminating the necessity for the operator to remove finished sheets at the opposite end. The ap- U-S' paratus includes a pusher head mounted on the ol] [51] I C] r 29/26 machine stand, so that the head can 'be pushed by the next [58] Fleld 0f Search ..271/84, 54, 55 Sheet fed into the machine, whereby the head pushes a preced ing sheet off the machine bed. The accessory also includes a [56] References Clted deflecting member which moves down the pusher head at the UNITED STATES PATENTS end of its forward travel, so that it lies beneath the sheets and therefore a spring can return the head to its initial position. 1,029,159 6/1912 Westerbeck ..271/55 X 2,161,712 6/1939 Krell ..27 1/84 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PUSHER ACCESSORY FOR ROLL FORMING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates to machine tools of the type which operate on sheet metal, and to an accessory therefor.

2. Description of the Prior Art Roll forming tools are widely used to bend the edges of sheet metal to facilitate the joining of sheets to make ducts. Generally, the machine is located on a machine bed, and an operator places a sheet on the bed and feeds it into the machine. Rolls of the machine engage the sheet and automatically move it along the bed while rolling the edge, until the trailing edge of the machine leaves the last roll. An operator walks along holding the portion of the sheet opposite the edge being rolled, and he moves the sheet off the bed after it has been rolled. If the operator does not walk along with the sheet and move it off the bed, the sheet will remain on the bed adjacent to the last roll of the machine and interfere with the next sheet to be rolled. The necessity for the operator to walk back and forth greatly reduces his efficiency.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide simple and reliable apparatus for automatically moving a sheet of metal off the bed of a machine tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory which can be easily installed on a metal forming machine that automatically moves sheets out of the output end of the machine.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a pusher member is slidably mounted on a machine bed so that it can be pushed by sheets of metal behind it that are moving along the bed, and can push sheets in front of it. The pusher member is normally positioned behind the trailing edge of a sheet after it has moved through the forming machine and stopped. Therefore, the next sheet which is fed into the machine will contact the pusher member and move it and the preceding sheet forward until the preceding sheet has been pushed off the machine bed. After the pusher member has reached a forward position wherein it has pushed the preceding sheet off the bed, a retractor member moves down the pusher member so that it lies beneath the sheet which is passing through the forming machine. Thepusher member can then return, under the force of a return spring, to its original position.

The novel features of the invention are set'forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of a pusher assembly constructed in accordance with the invention, shown installed on a sheet metal forming machine;

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation view of the pusher assembly OfFlG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial exploded view of the pusher assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the pusher member and vertical guide of the pusher assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIli/[ENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a button lock machine 10 mounted on a bed 12 that is supported above the ground by a stand 14. The forming machine 10 has a series of rolls 16, 18 on either side for forming female and male joints, respectively, along the edges of metal sheets. To form a female joint, a sheet of metal, such as sheet 20 or 22 is fed into the input end 24 by laying the sheet on the bed 12 and moving it along the left guide 26 until the first roller of the series 16 engages the sheet. The rollers thereafter move the sheet along the bed to the position of sheet 20 near the output end 28 of the machine, where the sheet stops moving. When a sheet has reached the position of sheet 20, the entire right edge has been formed into a female joint.

Heretofore, it has been necessary for the operator to walk along with a sheet moving through the machine so that he can remove a sheet which has passed through the machine and is in the position of sheet 20. If the operator did not remove each sheet in the position of sheet 20, then the following sheet 22 might move over the preceding sheet 20 and jam on it. The necessity for the operator to walk along with the sheet greatly reduced his efficiency. In accordance with the present inven tion, a pusher accessory 30 is provided which eliminates the need for the operator to remove sheets at the output end of the machine. Accordingly, the operator can remain at the input end where he repeatedly feeds sheets into the machine at a rapid rate.

The pusher assembly 30 includes a carriage 32 which holds a pusher member 34 that lies in the path of sheets moving through the forming machine. The carriage 32 is slidably supported by a pair of guide rods 36, 38. The rods 36, 38 are slidably engaged with a pair of slider bearings 40, 42 mounted on a support 44 that is attached to the stand 14. The carriage 32 is normally in the rearward position shown in FIG. 1. When a first sheet is fed into the left side of the machine, and is moved through the machine by the rolls 16, its leading edge contacts the rearward face 46 of the pusher member after the sheet has moved about halfway through the machine. Thereafter, the sheet moves the pusher member 34 in a downpath or forward direction.

After the pusher member 34 has moved forward a certain distance, a deflecting pin 48 on the pusher member contacts a deflecting member 50. The member 50 is mounted on a flange 52 onsupport 44, at the forward end of the pusher assembly. When the deflecting pin 48 contacts the deflecting member 50, the pin and pusher member 34 are moved down to a position beneath the sheet which is pushing on the rear face 46 of the pusher member. Once the pusher member is beneath the sheet, it moves in an up-path or backward direction under the force of a return spring 54. When the pusher member reaches its backward position, it remains in a downwardly depressed position until the sheet which was pushing it passes by. The sheet continues to move forward until it reaches the position of sheet 20, and it then stops.

As soon as sheet 20 has passed by the forward face 56 of the pusher member, the pusher member is. free to move upward. It then moves up under the force of another spring, so that it is again in the path of sheets moving through the machine. When a second sheet 22 is fed into the machine and reaches the position shown in FIG. 1, the leading edge of that sheet 22 contacts the rearward face 46 of the pusher member to again move the pusher member in a forward direction. After the pusher member has moved a short distance, its forward face 56 contacts the trailing edge of the preceding sheet 20. The pusher member then begins pushing that sheet in a forward direction. The pusher member continues to push the sheet 20 until that sheet falls off the bed 12 onto a table which may be located perhaps 8 inches below the bed of the machine. Soon after that, the pusher member 34 again reaches the deflector member 50. The pusher member is then moved down under the sheet 22 which is pushing it, to return to its backward position. The apparatus is then ready to receive another sheet.

With the pusher assembly 30 installed, sheets can be rapidly moved into the forming machine with only a spacing of a few inches between the trailing edge of one sheet and the leading edge of the next. Inasmuch as the operator need not walk along the side of the machine bed to support the overhanging left edge of the sheet, it is generally preferable to provide a table to the left of the bed 12 and at the same height, to support the left side of each sheet. The elimination of the need for the operator to remove the preceding sheet before feeding in a new sheet can more than double the output achieved by an operator in a given amount of time.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate the details of construction of the pusher assembly 30. The carriage 32 includes a vertical guide member 58 which is in the form of a rectangular tube. As best shown in FIG. 4, the pusher member 34 includes a rectangular guide bar 60 which is disposed in the vertical guide 58. The pusher member has a head 62 welded to the top of the guide bar 60. The head has a rearward face portion 64 which defines the rearward face 46 that abuts the forward edge of sheets. It also has a forward face portion 66 which defines the forward face 56 that abuts the trailing edge of sheets moving through the machine. The deflector pin 48 has an inward end which passes through a slot 68 in the vertical guide and through a hole formed in the guide bar 60. A holding screw 70 serves to hold the guide pin firmly in place.

The guide bar 60 is biased to an upward position by a spring 72 within the vertical guide 58. The spring has an upper end 74 which abuts a lower end of the guide bar, and a lower end 76 that abuts a spring holding member 78 that is also disposed within the vertical guide. An adjusting screw 80 is provided which is threadably engaged with a nut 82 fixed to the bottom of the vertical guide 58. The adjusting screw has an upper end 84 disposed against the spring holding member 78. When the screw 80 is turned in, it raises the spring holding member 78, spring 72, and the pusher member 34. This allows for an adjustment of the height of the head 62 to assure contact between the face portions 64, and 66 and sheets moving through the forming machine. Normally, the pusher member 34 is in a position wherein the guide pin 48 is below the upper end 86 of the slot. The spring 72 is then compressed only by the weight of the pusher member thereon. However, when the carriage reaches the forward end of its travel and the deflecting pin 48 is moved down, the spring 72 is compressed. A spring guide 86 is provided to prevent buckling of the spring. The guide 86 has a lower end fixed to the spring holding member 78 and an upper end which is slidably mounted in the same hole in the guide bar 60 into which the holding screw 70 moves.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the vertical guide 58 is held to a carriage block 88 by a pair of brackets 90, 92. The carriage block 88 has a pair of holes 94, 96 which receive the forward ends of the guide bars 36, 38 that support the carriage in forward and backward movement along the machine bed. Set screws 98 serve to hold the forward ends of the guide rods tightly to the carriage block. A spring holder 100 mounted at the bottom of the carriage block serves to engage one end of the spring 54 which returns the carriage along a horizontal path to its original position.

The slider bearings 40, 42 are blocks of metal with holes formed in them to receive the guide rods 36, 38. A bumper 102 is held by a screw 104 to the forward face of the forward slider bearing 40. The bumper 102 contacts the carriage block 88 to reduce the shock of the returning carriage.

When a sheet is moving through the machine without an operator holding the left edge, it is possible for the sheet to buckle up or down, and ride over the faces of the pusher member 34. To prevent this, an upper guide assembly 105, shown in FIG. 1, is provided. The upper guide assembly 105 includes a cross beam 106 which is held by a pair of fasteners 108 to the top of the frame of the forming machine 10. The cross beam carries an upper guide 110 at either end for-holding down the portion of the sheet which is being contacted by the pusher member 34. The upper guide 110 has a curved rearward end 112 which guides the leading edge of each sheet into the narrow space between the guide 110 and bed 12. The guide 110 extends adjacent to the left edge of the machine bed 12 and the path of the pusher member 34 that moves along the edge of the bed.

As the trailing edge of a sheet moves out of the output end 28 of the roll forming machine, it can turn and therefore slide to either side. To prevent this, an auxiliary guide assembly 120 is provided which guides the right edge of the sheet that has been rolled. As best shown in FIG. 5, the auxiliary guide assembly includes an angle beam 122 mounted on the machine bed 12. The beam 122 abuts the outer edge of the sheet 20 and prevents it from turning to the right (the "right" is as would be seen in a plan view). A pair of upper guide bars 124 and 126 fastened to the beam prevent the sheet from climbing" up the side of beam 122. In addition, bar 126 can engage the female rolled edge 128 of the sheet to prevent the sheet from turning to the left.

As portions of the sheet leave the bed 12, the right edge of the sheet continues to be supported and guided. As shown in FIG. 6, a support bar 130 is attached to the bottom of the beam 122. The support bar 130 supports the right edge of the sheet to prevent it from falling down, while the beam 122 abuts the edge to help guide the sheet straight ahead. When the trailing edge of the sheet approaches the end of the machine bed, the sheet tips to the left, and falls onto the table whose top is at a level below that of the machine bed. The auxiliary guide assembly assures that the sheets will all fall in about the same location and orientation. Thus, a relatively neat stack of sheets with rolled edges is piled up on the table.

The pusher assembly 30 is designed so it can be readily installed on an old forming machine, as well as being designable into a new machine. In order to install the assembly on a forming machine which is already in use, the support plate 44 is mounted on the stand 14 of the machine so that the forward flange 52 on which the deflecting member 50 is located, is at the forward end of the machine bed. The slider bearings 40, 42 are then positioned along the support plate 44. They are located so that the pusher member 34 lies immediately in back of a sheet which has been moved completely forward by the rolls 16 of the forming machine. The adjusting screw is then turned to raise or lower the pusher member 34 so that the vertical middle of the face portions 64, 66 contact the edges of sheets moving along the bed 12. Each of the face portions 64, 66 then extend above and below the surface of the bed 12. After the pusher assembly 30 is installed, the upper guide assembly is installed. The upper guide assembly is positioned so that the rearward ends 112 of the upper guides are located rearward of the rear face 46 of the pusher head when it is in the normal or rearward position. The upper guides 1 10 are located so they lie at only a small distance above the bed 12, to allow a sheet to slide under it. Normally, a table such as table 114 is provided at each side of the bed 12 to support the edges of the sheet which overhang the bed.

The right side of the machine 10, which forms the male portion of the joint in sheet metal, is also provided with a pusher assembly and an upper guide to facilitate the movement of sheets therealong. The pusher assembly for the right side of the bed is identical except that certain parts must be reversed, or constructed as a mirror image of the corresponding part on the left side. The right side also has an auxiliary guide assembly 132 which is specifically designed to guide the male rolled edge produced on the right side of the machine. As shown in FIG. 5, a beam 134 is provided, which supports a pair of guide bars 136, 138 that guide the male edge 140. After the sheet leaves the machine bed, its male-rolled left edge is supported by a support bar 142, as shown in FIG. 6. The support bar and beam 134 cause male-rolled sheets to pile up in a relatively neat stack on the table located below the level of the machine bed.

In operating the pusher assembly 30, it has been found that the face members 64, 66 on the pusher head 62 are preferably angled down from a vertical direction. Thus, the forward face 56 is oriented at an angle A of about 8 from a line 116 which is perpendicular to the path of sheets moving along the bed. It has been found that sheets tend to ride up the faces of the pusher head when they face in a direction parallel to the path of sheets moving through the machine. Various angles have been tried on the faces in order to prevent this tendency, which is present in spite of the upper guides 110. An angle of about 8 from the vertical (i.e., from a line perpendicular to the sheet path) has been found adequate to prevent the trailing edge of sheets being pushed from riding over, without tending to downwardly deflect the edge. It has also been found desirable to downwardly angle the rearward face 46, which contacts the leading edge of sheets. In the case of the rearward face, it has been found that an angle B of about 2 W from the line 116 is adequate to prevent upward deflection of the lead ing edge of the sheet without causing downward deflection. Various angles have been tried for the forward and rearward faces. It has been found that an angle of more than about 3 and less than about 15 is sufficient to prevent upward or downward riding over the forward face, and an angle of more than about 1 and less than about is sufiicient for the rear ward face, although angles of about 8 and 2 are most desirable.

Thus, the invention provides apparatus for increasing the efficiency of operation of a machine, by the use of apparatus that automatically pushes a sheet out of the outer end of the forming or other machine that operates on sheet metal. The pushing apparatus is constructed without a motor, and utilizes the force of the next sheet to push the preceding sheet. This is accomplished by a pusher head which is located between successive sheets to enable one to push the other. The pusher head is mounted so that it automatically moves down when the preceding sheet has been pushed out, so that it can return to its rearward position. The pusher head is also mounted so that it remains under a sheet going through the machine until that sheet is near the outer end of the machine. The head then automatically raises to a position in the path of the sheets. An upper guide is also provided which holds down sheets along the path of the pusher head. The simplicity of the apparatus, and the fact that it needs no auxiliary power source, enables it to be economically installed on existing machines, to increase their efficiency of operation.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for moving sheets out of a machine that auto' matically moves the sheets so their trailing edges lie at a predetermined position comprising:

sheet pushing means mounted to move between a position behind said predetermined position and a position downpath therefrom, said sheet pushing means having a rearward face for receiving pushing forces from a sheet moving through said machine and a forward face for pushing downpath a sheet which has already substantially moved through said machine, and said sheet pushing means being free of drive connections and restraints against movement between said predetermined position and a position downpath therefrom, so that it does not begin moving until the leading edge of a sheet moving through said machine contacts and applies pushing forces to said rearward face.

2. The apparatus described in claim 1 including:

means for supporting only one edge of said sheets along an extreme downpath end of their paths, whereby to direct said sheets to fall into a relatively neat stack.

3. Apparatus for moving sheets along a machine comprismg:

sheet pushing means slidably mounted with respect tosaid machine in the path of sheets moving through said machine, for abutting sheets in front of and behind it,

means for deflecting said pushing means out of the path of said sheets at a predetermined forward position; and

means for storing energy as said sheet pushing means is moved forwardly and then releasing said energy by moving said pushing means in a rearward direction.

4. The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein:

said machine includes a bed for supporting sheets moving therethroudglh; and ll'lcllldi lfi means exten ng beyond sai ed for supporting the edge of a sheet at only one side thereof at positions forward of said bed, whereby to more neatly stack sheets emerging from said machine.

5. Apparatus for moving sheets com-prising:

first means for engaging sheets and moving them in a predetermined forward direction until their trailing edges lie at a predetermined position;

a pusher head with forward and rearward faces;

a guide for guiding said head in substantially up and down motion, said guide mounted to slide substantially parallel to the path of sheets moved by said first means, and said guide free of driving connection to said first means;

a spring coupled to said head to urge it in a substantially upward direction;

means for deflecting said head downwardly at a predetermined forward position along said horizontal path;

spring means for storing energy by forward movement at said guide and releasing the energy to move said guide in a backward position along said horizontal path; and

means for stopping backward movement of said vertical guide at a position where its forward face is in back of said predetermined position of trailing edges of said sheets.

6. The apparatus described in claim .5 wherein:

said means for deflecting said head downwardly releases it to move upwardly at a location forward of said position where its forward face is in back of said predetermined position of trailing edges, whereby said head rides along the lower surface of a sheet until the head moves behind it.

7. The apparatus described in claim 5 including:

means for supporting sheets moving out of said machine along only one edge of said sheets, for a predetermined path length, whereby to direct the sheets to fall in a neater pile.

8. In apparatus for moving sheets along the downpath end of a machine bed and off of it, the improvement comprising:

guide means including first means for supporting only one edge portion of said sheets along a primarily horizontal path extending downpath from the downpath end of said machine bed and second means for abutting said same edge of said sheets downpath from said end of said machine bed to prevent turning of the sheet about a primarily vertical axis, whereby to direct said sheets to fall into a relatively neat pile.

9. The improvement described in claim 8 wherein:

said bed supports a machine that automatically moves sheets along said bed until their trailing edges lie at a predetermined position along said bed; and including means mounted for movement between a position up-path from the trailing edges of sheets at said predetermined position and a position downpath therefrom, for receiving pushing forces from a sheet moving through said machine and for pushing downpath a sheet which has already moved through said machine.

II I I I i 

1. Apparatus for moving sheets out of a machine that automatically moves the sheets so their trailing edges lie at a predetermined position comprising: sheet pushing means mounted to move between a position behind said predetermined position and a position downpath therefrom, said sheet pushing means having a rearward face for receiving pushing forces from a sheet moving through said machine and a forward face for pushing downpath a sheet which has already substantially moved through said machine, and said sheet pushing means being free of drive connections and restraints against movement between said predetermined position and a position downpath therefrom, so that it does not begin moving until the leading edge of a sheet moving through said machine contacts and applies pushing forces to said rearward face.
 2. The apparatus described in claim 1 including: means for supporting only one edge of said sheets along an extreme downpath end of their paths, whereby to direct said sheets to fall into a relatively neat stack.
 3. Apparatus for moving sheets along a machine comprising: sheet pushing means slidably mounted with respect to said machine in the path of sheets moving through said machine, for abutting sheets in front of and behind it, means for deflecting said pushing means out of the path of said sheets at a predetermined forward position; and means for storing energy as said sheet pushing means is moved forwardly and then releasing said energy by moving said pushing means in a rearward direction.
 4. The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein: said machine includes a bed for supporting sheets moving therethrough; and including means extending beyond said bed for supporting the edge of a sheet at only one side thereof at positions forward of said bed, whereby to more neatly stack sheets emerging from said machine.
 5. Apparatus for moving sheets comprising: first means for engaging sheets and moving them in a predetermined forward direction until their trailing edges lie at a predetermined position; a pusher head with forward and rearward faces; a guide for guiding said head in substantially up and down motion, said guide mounted to slide substantially parallel to the path of sheets moved by said first means, and said guide free of driving connection to said first means; a spring coupled to said head to urge it in a substantially upward direction; means for deflecting said head downwardly at a predetermined forward position along said horizontal path; spring means for storing energy by forward movement at said guide and releasing the energy to move said guide in a backward position along said horizontal path; and means for stopping backward movement of said vertical guide at a position where its forward face is in back of said predetermined position of trailing edges of said sheets.
 6. The apparatus described in claim 5 wherein: said means for deflecting said head downwardly releases it to move upwardly at a location forward of said position where its forward face is in back of said predetermined position of trailing edges, whereby said head rides along the lower surface of a sheet until the head moves behind it.
 7. The apparatus described in claim 5 including: means for supporting sheets moving out of said machine along only one edge of said sheets, for a predetermined path length, whereby to direct the sheets to fall in a neater pile.
 8. In apparatus for moving sheets along the downpath end of a machine bed and off of it, the improvement comprising: guide means including first means for supporting only one edge portion of said sheets along a primarily horizontal path extending downpath from the downpath end of said machine bed and second means for abutting said same edge of said sheets downpath from said end of said mAchine bed to prevent turning of the sheet about a primarily vertical axis, whereby to direct said sheets to fall into a relatively neat pile.
 9. The improvement described in claim 8 wherein: said bed supports a machine that automatically moves sheets along said bed until their trailing edges lie at a predetermined position along said bed; and including means mounted for movement between a position up-path from the trailing edges of sheets at said predetermined position and a position downpath therefrom, for receiving pushing forces from a sheet moving through said machine and for pushing downpath a sheet which has already moved through said machine. 